On Jul. 13, 2020, an emerging virus threatens both wild and pet rabbits in the U.S. The fatal virusﾗwhich causes an Ebola-like disease called rabbit hemorrhagic diseaseﾗwas reported in the western and southwestern U.S.

The virus was first diagnosed in domestic rabbits in China in 1984, but it is believed to have originated in wild European rabbits. It soon spread around the world via human travel. (Australia and New Zealand purposefully introduced the virus to try to control their numbers of feral rabbits.)